Conduit for electric railways.



No. 855,492- PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

- I S; ALEX-ANDER. GONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. I

TION TILED 11,111.14 1 04.

JOHN S. ALEXANDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application filed March 14, 1904. Serial No. 197,957-

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN S. ALEXANDER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, State of New York, have in vented certain Improvements in Conduits for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This object of my invention is to construct a strong, durable and relatively cheap con- [0 duit for the conductor or conductors of an electric railway, this conduit being susceptible of use either belowthe surface when employed in connection with a surface railway, on the surface as in the case of a tunnel,

or above the surface when the roadway is elevated, special features of the invention being the thorough insulation of the conductors, the provision afforded for obtaining ready access to said conductors and for removing and replacing the same, and the protection of the conductors from the effects of rain, snow, ice or sleet.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is a transverse section of a street railway,

having an electrical conduit constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2, is an enlarged sectional view of the conduit; and Fig. 3, is a similar view of another form of conduit.

In Fig. 1, of the drawings, 11 represent the opposite rails of the track of a surface railway, suitably mounted upon wooden or other cross ties 2, which also support the conduit for the electrical conductors from which 3 5 power is derived for the running of the cars,

this conduit being centrally mounted between the track rails 1, and being constructed in the following manner: The opposite sides 3 of the conduit are composed of rolled channel bars or beams riveted or otherwise rigidly secured at the bottom to transverse bars or plates 4:, forming a grid or lattice work, through which free communication can be had with the drainage channel 5 formed in a 4 5 mass of concrete 6, or other suitable structure, located beneath the conduit and serving also to aid in the proper support of the central portions of the cross ties 2, the outer or rail carrying ends of which may also, if desired,

be supported upon longitudinal girders or stringers 7 of concrete, so as to maintain the conduit and track rails in proper horizontal alinement.

The top of the conduit is formed by a pair 5 5 of slot irons 8 composed of rolled bars of iron,

steel or other metal of the proper shape, having flanges to be bolted to the upper flanges of the sides 3 of the conduit, these upper members of the conduit forming between them the slot for the passage of the bar on the car which carries at its lower end the contact arms or brushes for engaging with the conductor or conductors contained in the conduit.

The slot irons 8 are retained in proper lateral relation to the track rails l by means of tie bars 9 extending from the base of each rail to the upper flanges of the corresponding side of the conduit and secured to the latter by the same bolt and nut which confine the flanges together, each tie rod being preferably provided with a turn buckle 10 or other suitable adjusting device, which will serve to maintain it under proper tension. In the present instance, I have shown the conduit as intended to carry two conductors 11 and 12, one on each side of the conduit, one of these conductors being positive and the other negative, so that the rails are not used for the return current, but both conductors may, if desired, be of the same polarity if the rails are used for the return current, or the conduit may contain but one conductor.

Between each conductor and the corresponding side of the conduit are interposed upper and lower insulating blocks 13 and 14, composed of terra cotta, glass, vulcanized fiber, or any other available insulating material, the conductors being, by preference, beveled at the top and bottom, and the insulating blocks being correspondingly beveled so that when the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 1, the conductors will be laterally retained each by its own side of the conduit, and the proper spacing of the conductors will be thereby insured. Each. of the lower insulating blocks 14 has inwardly proj ecting lugs 15 whereby said insulating blocks are properly separated, and the proper drainage of the chamber between the conductors is permitted, the inner edges of the slot irons 8 forming depending drip fingers 16, from which water will fall clear of the faces of the two conductors, and will thus be prevented from forming an electrical connection between the same or between either conductor and its, corresponding slot iron.

The joints between the upper and lower insulating blocks 13 and 14 are preferably formed line with the joints between the sections of the conduit, so that when the slot irons have been removed, the upper insulating blocks can likewise be removed and the conductors thus rendered accessible for inspection removal or repair.

The paving blocks 17 between the tracks 1, do not overhang the flanges of the conduit, the space above said flanges being packed with sand orearth, which can be readily removed when it is desired to gain access to the fastenings whereby the slot irons are secured to the sides of the conduit. The conductors 11 and 12 can be made in any suitable lengths, and the same is true of the insulating blocks 13 and 14.

The conduits for the feed wires to which the conductors are connected at intervals, may be conveniently located beneath the street paving at one side of the track, as shown at 18 in Fig. 1.

In that form of conduit shown in Fig. 3, a single insulating block 19 received the lower portion of each conductor bar, this block having suitable drainage openings 20 and the slot irons 8, are so formed as to constitute a beveled or flaring slot instead of the vertical sided slot shown in Fig. 1. This form of conduit is especially adapted for use in elevated railway or tunnel work, in which case it will be laid upon one side, so as to receive a laterally projecting contact arm. In this case, drainage openings are unnecessary.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The combination of an electric conductor, with a conductor conduit or carrier composed of upper and lower members having means placed below the top surface thereof whereby they are secured together, and continuous insulating blocks interposed be tween the conductor and the upper and lower portions of the carrier and serving to support the conductor within said carrier, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of an electric conductor, a carrier or conduit therefor comprising top members forming a slot, side members secured to said top members, and bars secured to said side members, and forming a grid or lattice-work bottom for the conduit and insulating material interposed between the conductor and the members of the conduit and serving to retain the conductor therein, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a conductor conduit or carrier, composed of upper and lower members, detachably connected together, a conductor contained within said conduit, and an interposed insulator also comprising up per and lower members, the lower member being so formed as to provide drainage openings therethrough, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a conductor conduit or carrier, composed of upper and lower members, means projecting below the surface of the conduit whereby said members are detachably secured together, a conductor having undercut upper and lower portions,

and insulating material interposed between the conductor and the conduit or carrier and also comprising upper and lower members adapted to said undercut portions of. the conductor whereby the latter is retained in position, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a railway track, current conductors, a conduit or carrier therefor including two pairs of oppositely disposed upper and lower members having means whereby they are respectively secured together, insulating material interposed between each conductor and the conduit, with retaining means for the conduit members consisting of bars extending respectively from each pair of members to the tracks and held to said members by the retaining means thereof.

6. The combination of a pair of oppositely disposed current conductors, a conduit therefor consisting of two pairs of upper and lower conduit members, insulating material between said members and the conductors, an

open-work structure interposed between the lower portions of the device for spacing the members, there being a drainage chamberunder said conduit communicating with the interior thereof through said open work structure, substantially as s ecified.

In testimony whereof, I ave signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JOHN S. ALEXANDER.

Witnesses W. R. TRAVERS, M. MORAN. 

